Manager, QA Automation

About us

KnitWell Group, a specialty retail operating company, comprises some of the most iconic brands in America - Ann Taylor, Chico's, Haven Well Within, Lane Bryant, LOFT, Soma, Talbots, White House Black Market. Individually, our brands are unique and strong. Together, we are powerful.Our common thread is our commitment to create exceptional products, provide memorable experiences, and achieve superior results. Our associates are innovators who thrive through collaboration and are dedicated to excellence. At the heart of it all are the customers we serve. We are dedicated to creating fashion that not only looks good but also makes our customers feel good.

About the role

This position is responsible for leading a team of manual and automation quality engineering. Will work closely with the other members of the team and business owners to create, review, execute test plans and scenarios to ensure the quality of software releases. This role leads testing projects (big and small); provides support to the Digital Product Team sprint releases by applying best in industry quality engineering skills in various systems and applications, including financial programs. This role participates in the product development process for ensuring software runs smoothly and meeting the business objective by enabling shift left testing using automation along with CI/CD, agile and scrum methodology and in completing test projects on time within budget.

The impact you can have

· As the QA Manager, you will be responsible leading and managing Automation, and AI-enabled Quality Engineering teams, driving quality excellence, engineering productivity, and continuous improvement across Agile sprints and projects.

· Define and execute an AI-driven test automation strategy, leveraging Generative AI, intelligent automation, and modern testing frameworks to improve coverage, accelerate delivery, and reduce manual testing efforts.

· Lead the design, development, and maintenance of scalable, reusable, and AI-enabled automation frameworks for Web UI, Mobile Platform, API, backend, integration, and End-to-End testing across Retail and Digital Commerce platforms.

· Drive engineering best practices by integrating automated testing, AI-assisted test execution, and quality gates into CI/CD pipelines to enable faster, reliable releases.

· Drive adoption of tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and other AI platforms to automate repetitive QA activities, accelerate automation script development, and integrate AI capabilities into sprint and project lifecycles.

· Lead the design, development, implementation, and adoption of AI-powered QA Agents for story readiness, test planning, test case generation, test execution, defect analysis, test data management, and automated reporting to improve QA efficiency.

· Partner with Product Owners, Developers, Business Analysts, DevOps, and Engineering teams to analyze requirements, improve story readiness, identify automation opportunities, and embed quality throughout the software development lifecycle.

· Evaluate emerging AI testing platforms, automation technologies, and agentic solutions; lead proof-of-concepts and scale successful implementations across QA teams.

· Define and monitor KPIs covering automation coverage, test execution efficiency, defect leakage, AI Agent adoption, manual effort reduction, sprint velocity, and measurable productivity gains from AI initiatives.

· Mentor and train manual and automation engineers in modern testing practices, AI-assisted development, prompt engineering, and QA Agent utilization, enabling teams to transition toward AI-enabled Quality Engineering.

· Establish and continuously improve enterprise QA processes, test strategies, methodologies, test plans, risk-based testing practices, and quality standards across manual, automation, and AI-enabled testing.

· Design, develop, and maintain automation frameworks and test scripts using latest

advancements in automation testing tools and platforms

· Provide leadership in innovation and adoption of leading test platforms/solutions

· Train and mentor team members on automation testing best practices

· Monitor and report on the progress and performance of automation testing activities

You’ll bring to the role

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in Software Quality Engineering, including manual, automation, and AI-driven testing, primarily in Digital Commerce and Retail Systems.
• 7+ years of managerial experience leading QA and Automation Engineering teams, driving quality transformation, AI adoption, and engineering productivity.
• 7+ years of hands-on automation experience designing and implementing UI, API, and E2E frameworks using Selenium, Playwright, JUnit, TestNG, BrowserStack, Sauce Labs, or equivalent tools including but not limited to E Comm Web, Backend, Mobile and Point of Sale OS and Device automation.
• Hands-on experience implementing AI-driven test automation, including AI-assisted test generation, intelligent test execution, self-healing automation, test data generation, and automated defect analysis.
• Experience building, configuring, or utilizing AI-powered QA Agents for story readiness, test planning, test case generation, test execution, defect analysis, and automated QA reporting.
• Practical experience with Generative AI and Agentic AI tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, or equivalent, including prompt engineering and AI-assisted automation development.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (Python, Java, or JavaScript) and strong knowledge of Retail/eCommerce technologies such as SFCC, OMS, WMS, POS, Oracle, SAP, and CRM.
• Strong expertise in functional, integration, regression, performance, accessibility, nonfunctional, and risk-based testing, along with CI/CD integration using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI.
• Proven experience leading Agile/Scrum QA delivery, distributed vendor teams, automation strategy, quality metrics, release readiness, and mentoring engineers in modern QE practices.
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment and effectively meet project deliverables on time
• Must be flexible and available to provide off-hours support on project work or production emergencies

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with LLM integration, AI agent orchestration, and multi-agent workflows, including integration with Jira, test management tools, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience validating AI-powered applications and autonomous agents, including response accuracy, hallucination detection, guardrails, security, and reliability; expertise in POS/iPad/handheld automation and relevant QA, Generative AI, or AI Engineering certifications.
• Software quality assurance certifications preferred

Benefits

· You will be eligible to receive a merchandise discount at select KnitWell Group brands, subject to each brand’s discount policies.

• Support for your individual development plus opportunities for career mobility within our family of brands.
• A culture of giving back - local volunteer opportunities, annual donation and volunteer match to eligible nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic activities to support our communities.*

· Medical, dental, vision insurance & 401(K).*

· Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

· Time off - paid time off & holidays.*

*Any job offer will consider factors such your qualifications, relevant experience, and skills. Eligibility of certain benefits and associate programs are subject to employment type and role.

• Remote: This position works remotely. Occasional travel to a company office may be required. Preference given to candidates near our Etna, OH office.

Location:

Ascena Corp ETNA-ascena-Pataskala, OH 43062

Position Type:

Regular/Full time

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Company is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from diverse candidates. Hiring decisions are based upon a candidate's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration and are made without regard to sex (including pregnancy), race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, genetic information, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other category protected by applicable law. The Company is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for job applicants with disabilities. If you require an accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position you are seeking or to participate in the application process, please contact [email protected]. The Company will make reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified applicants or employees, unless such accommodations would impose an undue hardship on the operations of the Company’s business. The Company will not revoke or alter a job offer based on an applicant’s request for reasonable accommodation.